re soaked, and her face was smeared with dirt. She look

ation and jealousy bo

as shrill and desperate. "She's cursed! She'll drag your whole fancy family s

eached the door of t

ly turne

ace stood a mother whose child had just been threaten

eigh. Her high heels sank into the mud with every step, but s

epped forward, raising

ng him know he should hold p

ed right in fro

child suffer and done nothing, had participated in that suffe

ou cannot begin to comprehend. And you" - she let the silence stretch - "will spend the rest

as completely gone, replaced by tremb

g moment. Then she turned away, as if Ka

the SUV, her steps

y loudly. The guards kept the family contained as the Ba

d into his radio. "Hold the Pruitts until the cou

k her hand and lifted it to his lips,

ight sensation in her chest. It wasn't pain. It was th

t alone. Now, she saw what absolute,

he walked through the mud and slip

's hand tightly, holding on as if she was

Clare's eyes. "Did the noise scare

pression was completely calm

r up into his arms again. H

ilas said. "Let's ta

voy prepared to depart. The Pruitt compound, with it